


Projection

by SaraJaye



Category: Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Genre: Acceptance, Angst, Banquets, Celebrations, F/M, Jealousy, Selfish Fantasies, Selfishness, Unrequited Love, Weddings, i want my beloved to be happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-30 02:55:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15087440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye
Summary: A person can only lie to themselves for so long before they must face reality.





	Projection

**Author's Note:**

> _Any, any(/any), jealousy_

All throughout the campaign, he'd watched Prince Innes's endless efforts to woo Princess Eirika, and found comfort in watching her rebuff them. More than once, she'd called him "infuriating" in his arrogance and rolled her eyes as he never let up in trying to best Prince Ephraim. Even upon their return to Freila, when Prince Innes had announced his intentions to wed Princess Eirika, Seth was sure nothing would come of it. Whether or not he bested Prince Ephraim, surely Princess Eirika would refuse a man who had constantly irritated her for months on end, right?

It was a week after the duel between the princes had ended in a draw. Freila was holding a banquet in which Prince Innes would make his intentions known, and Seth still wasn't too worried. Maybe she planned to turn him down in private. Or even in public; while Seth did respect the Freilan prince as a warrior and a tactician, he couldn't help wishing somebody would knock his ego down a peg.

_She'll tell him no, and then..._

He sighed, staring into his half-empty glass of water. Of course he knew the real reason he didn't want Princess Eirika to marry that man, and none of it had anything to do with Prince Innes's flaws. He knew it was selfish to hope for Princess Eirika's love at the expense of someone else's pride, but still, he wished. As he watched the pair walk to the center of the banquet hall, he pretended the princess's smile was for show. As Prince Innes held her hand, he pretended she was hating every moment of that touch. As the crowd grew silent, he indulged in a fantasy of rescuing her and carrying her off into the sunset, back to Renais where she belonged.

"Ladies and gentlemen, first I must thank you for your attendance at tonight's event," the prince began. "Not only is this a long-awaited celebration of the war's end, but Princess Eirika and I have a very important announcement to make."

He was speaking for her. Surely she must hate that, another sign of his arrogance. But Prince Innes stepped aside, allowing her to take center stage, and her smile grew.

"In just six months, I will henceforth be known as Queen Eirika of Freila," she said, and the unmasked happiness in her tone shattered Seth's carefully constructed illusions. The people cheered, especially when Prince Innes drew her in for a kiss and she returned it without hesitation.

There would be no rejection, no interruption, no riding off into the sunset back to Renais. Despite all her grumblings about the man during the campaign she _loved him_ and it was clear that despite his flaws, he respected her deeply. Her smiles, the way she held his hand, the joy in her eyes as she'd spoken. All of it real.

_Sometimes, the greatest lie is the one you tell yourself._

But he joined the applause, because to truly love someone was to want them happy, and he'd never seen Princess Eirika happier than she was right now. And in a way, he supposed it was a relief to stop lying to himself.

"Thank you, Seth," she said, as the celebrations wound down later that night. "For protecting me, and making sure I would live to have this moment."

He smiled, despite the lingering ache in his heart.

"Think nothing of it, my lady. I live to protect Renais, and I always will."

Six months later, he walked her down the aisle, watched her and Prince Innes exchange their vows. As the new King and Queen shared a kiss to seal their union, his smile was full of bittersweet joy.

_Live well, and be happy, my Queen._


End file.
